Day-lock for screw-door safes.



PATBNTBD JUNE 6, 1905." o. E, BLBGHSGHMIDT.

DAYvLOGK POR SCREW DOOR SAFES.

APPLIqATIoNrILED Nov. 1o. 1904.

15ml@ lli A .Y [rufen/2719 y v l UNITED STATES Patented June 6, 1905.

IPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. BLECHSCHMIDT, OF BELLEVUE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR SAFE& LOCK CO., OE CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DAY-LOCK FOR SCREW-DOOR SAFES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 791,534, dated June 6,1905.

Application led November l0, 1904. Serial No, 232,075.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BLEcH- SCHMIDT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing atl Bellevue, Campbell county, State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain newA and useful Improvements in Day-Locks for Screw-Door Safes; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, andexact description thereof, attention being called to the accompanyingdrawings, with the reference characters marked thereon, which formalso'a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in so-called day'locking devicesfor safes which are provided with a time-lock and in place of whichlatter the former are used at certain times. The time-lock is reliedupon to closeand guard the safe during the night and during intervalsfrom one business day to another. manner, the safe remains entirelyinaccessible'until the'determined time'has expired, after which thetime-lock releases the bolts automatically. It becomes often desirable,however, to also lock the safe temporarily during the day-time forindefinite shorter or longer periods, which locking need not necessarilybe as secure-that is, burglar-proofas the time-locking over night andfor which reason it is undesirable to wind and manipulate the time-lockor to change the setting thereof, which is usually arranged for acertain and normally xed time which does not ordinarily change. Use ofthe time-lock yfor such purpose is furthermore undesirable for theadditional reason that such use would require the setting of a fixedtime during which the safe would also remain inaccessible,which wouldalso be objectionable if immediate access were wanted before the end ofthe time fixed by the time-lock. The main requisite of such a day-lockoutfit is therefore entire independency of time as to its use for lock--ing or unlocking, and both of which operations are therefore arranged tobe performed manually, so as to be subject to direct and positivecontrol, so that whenever the daylock has been used immediate access tothe safe may be had. .Devices of this kind are When once set and closedin thisl illustrated in patents previously granted to me, one on October7, 1902, and another on October 27, 1903, and upon which devices thispresent invention contemplates a-further improvement. The type ofv safeshown in these patents is a screw-door safe, and this present inventionis arranged and devised with a view to be adapted for such a safe. Thedoors of these safes are provided with an external screw-thread whichfits into an internal thread around the door-opening. When the door isfully screwed home, so as to close the safe, the ends of the boltscarried by the door have arrived opposite their sockets in the safebody,so that whenever actuated by the timelock or otherwise they may nowenter these sockets, so as to prevent rotation of the door, therebylocking the same. The doors are supported in a manner to permit suchrotation for closing or opening, and mechanism is provided whereby therotation is brought about. Thebolts remain in the locking position untilWithdrawn by the time-lock, which controlsY their operation. When lockedby a daylock, no bolts are used to lock the door to the safe-body, andthe locking is done merely by preventing use of the mechanism forrotating the door for thepurpose of withdrawingthat is, unscrewing--itfrom the door-opening. It will thus be seen that the two locking meansare entirely independent -of each other, and one does not interfere withthe operation or manipulation of the other, The door may be locked byeither one of the devices or by both simultaneously, and in the lattercase the unlocking of one of the devices does not aect-that is,unlock-the other.

Day locking devices may be operated by a key or combinationtumbler-lock, the latter being the usual medium, and this inventionbelongs to that particular class--that is, to a da'y locking devicecontrolled by a combination tumbler-lock.

The particular object of this present invention is to provide aconstruction which prevents any possible injury or disarrangement ofthis combination-lock should forcible attempt be made by unauthorizedpersons or such unfamiliar with the operation to manipulate themechanism for rotation when such mechanism is locked by the day lockingmeans.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in theclaims, is found a full description of the invention, together with itsoperation, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a front View of acustomary screw-door safe with parts of the outer shell of the doorbroken away. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ot' the front side of thesafe, taken at a height so as to pass about through the center of thedoor. Fig. 3 shows the inside of the outer shell of the door as the sameappears when the door is open, but with this latter removed. Fig. 4 isan enlarged vertical side view of the door, partly ih section, taken online 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail View of the meansdirectly concerned in the locking operation.

In the drawings, 8 is the circular door of a screw-door safe, part ofthe edge of such door being provided with a screw-thread 9, which isfitted into a corresponding thread around the inside of the door-opening10 in the front of the safe-body 11. From the front side of this doorthere projects a boss forming a journal 12, about which the doorrotates, said journal being fitted into a ring 13, which forms a bearingtherefor Aand supports VJthe door.' This ring is carried on acrane-frame 14, which is hingedly attached to the `front ofthe-safe-body, as shown at 15. This craneframe, carrying with it thedoor supported thereon for rotation, is manipulated--that is, swung intoor out of the door-opening-by means ot' ahandle 16 provided on saidframe.

The door is rotated in its bearing by means of a gear-train consistingvof the larger gearwheel 17, connected to the door for unitary movement,and of a pinion 18 in mesh with it and mounted on the stationary ring13. For its connection to the door the larger gearwheel is mounted upona hub 19, which is simply an extension of boss 12. It is conneeted tothis hub in any suitable way-as, for instance, by keys 20and wherebysaid gear-wheel and door are caused to rotate as one. For such rotationa handle 21 is used, which is attached to the square end 22 of thepinion-shaft. These operating parts, with the exception of this squareend 22, are covered by a hollou7 casing or shell 23, which beyondserving as an inclosure has no further function. This shell is attachedand supported in a manner so as not to rotate with the door, it beingsecured for vsuch purpose to ring 13. As before stated, such a safe isday-locked by preventing manipulation of the operating parts of the doorfor the purpose of rotating the same to screw it out of thedoor-opening. These operating parts are the gear-train, and itsoperation is prevented by locking the pinion thereof against rotation bymeans of a bolt B, ac-

tuated by a combination-lock 24. This lock is attached to the inside ofshell 23 and projects into the space surrounded by said shell, inaddition to which, if not suiiicient, it may also occupy part of thespace provided by a recess 25 in the front side ofthe door or of itsjournal. The keeper which receives the free end of this bolt consists ofa recess or notch 26, provided in a lateral extension of the hub or faceof pinion 18 or in the edge of shroud 27, where a shrouded pinion isused. The bolt consists of two parts, one, 28, being the locking partproper and another part, 29, being its actuating part, it extending forsuch purpose into the housing ot' the combination-lock to be operated bythe tumblers contained therein. These tumblers are manipulated in theusual manner by a knob 30, accessible from the outside ot' the safe-doorand mounted on the lockspindle 37, which projects through shell 23. Theedges of the locking part 28 of the bolt B are beveled, as shown at 31,and fitted with a dovetail into a guideway 32, Jformed between twoplates 33, substantially attached by screws or rivets to the inside ofshell 23, so as to lirmly hold and guide said part of the bolt. Theconnection of this part of the bolt to its actuatingpart29 is not rigidand merely su tlicient to drag said first part out of notch 26 when inlocking position. No direct connection would be necessary to push itinto this position. The connection mentioned is by means of a screw 34,the head of which occupies an opening 35 in au angular iiauge 36 at theinner end ot' the locking-bolt. Thisopeuing is merely suiiieient toprevent the head of the screw from slipping through, so as to hold thetwo parts `of the bolt to each other for movement in a longitudinaldirection. It is enlarged, however, to prevent this connection frombeing a rigid one. The result is that while said locking-bolt is iirmlyguided in lits way between the two plates 33 any undue exertions onhandle 21 to turn the pinion will not in their effect be transmitted tothe tumblers which engage bolt 29, preventing thereby any injury ordisarrangement of the combination-lock. It is obvious that this lockingmechanism does not interfere with the operation of the time-lock outiit,since there is no connection of any kind between the two, and no part ofthe day-lock engages any part of the safe-body, as is done by thetime-lock-controlled door-bolts.

Notch 26 is of course so located that when rotation to seat the doorceases and the latter is fully in position it has arrived and stopsopposite the end of the locking-bolt, so as to be capable to receive thesame.

Havingdescribed my invention, I claim as new- 1. In means for lockingthe rotary door of a screw-door safe, the combination of a eircular doorhaving a boss projecting from its front which forms a journal, anon-rotary ring IOO l'lO

Which by receiving this journal supports the door, a gear-train torotate the door consisting of a gear-Wheel attached to the door and apinion with an axially-extended hub supported on the ring Which supportsthe door, a shell which incloses this gear-train, a combination-lockattached to the inside of this shell, a bolt actuated thereby and akeeper to receive the end of the bolt, such keeperbeing constituted by anotch provided in the eX- tended part of the pinion mentioned.

2. In means for locking the rotary door of a screw-door safe, thecombination of a circular door havlng a boss projecting from its frontwhich forms a journal, a non-rotary ring which by receiving this journalsupports the door, a gear-train to rotate the door, consisting ofa'gear-wheel attached to the door and CHARLES E. BLECHSCHMIDT.

Witnesses C. SPENGEL, ARTHURl KLINE.

